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December 13, 2017, 09:17:56 PM

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AuthorTopic: My Newport is no longer "The Last" (Read 306 times)

When I bought my '70 Newpert, the seller told me it was supposed to be "The last Chrysler ragtop made until 1982." I knew this would not make a dime of diference in the car's value, or lack thereof, but it made an interesting story when I showed the car.

When I regiestered it with Galen Govier he told me there was no way to confirm or deny that claim - even though a salesman's claim is VERY hard to verify, how did he know? Galen told me the VIN records at Auburn Hills were destroyed in a fire. He suggested I check every VIN and build code on every '70 ragtop I see and make the claim until I find otherwise.

My VIN ends in 262511 and has a 630 build date on the fender tag.

I found a Dodge Monaco 'vert made on July 5, but had not found a Chrysler with a later VIN or date...

...until now! I saw a 300 'vert for sale on ebay. Its VIN was 2627** (I don;t remember the last two numbers). I asked him to tell me the build date or to send me a picture of the FT. Once he understood what I was asking, and why, he looked on the FT. (He had been looking at the plate on the driver's side door.) 701!

I now need to change the information sheet I place on my car when I take it to shows.

At the Nottmans Mopar magic car show,he was guest speaker there.He had no anwers for my C body questions and was short with me.Basically,he was there just to solicit his services to the A/B/E crowd--even though he did drop a business card in my car!! No C body info? Why bother giving me a card?? The following year at the same show he was booked but was a no show.I have no regard for him anymore.

Do you think maybe the salesman meant it was the last year until 82? And not the last 70 Nupie Vert?

No. My car originally sold on August 31, 1971. It had sat on the North Hollywood lot for over a year. No one knew in 1971 that the 'vert would come back as it did - remember the '76 Eldo: America's Last Convertable.

The salesman told the original owner that it was the last one made. There's no way he could have known that, but it made for a good story. Even so, Mr. Charles Hunt would not buy the car with the factory 383 in place. That's why my car has a '71 440 in it; the dealer installed it upon the sale.

At the Nottmans Mopar magic car show,he was guest speaker there.He had no anwers for my C body questions and was short with me.Basically,he was there just to solicit his services to the A/B/E crowd--even though he did drop a business card in my car!! No C body info? Why bother giving me a card?? The following year at the same show he was booked but was a no show.I have no regard for him anymore.

Quote from: POLARACO

Galen has never been able to answer any of my questions. . . And when we did encounter each other in the Meadowlands, I knew more than he did. WTH! Today my problem is Mind Clutter.

I've had no problems with him. It is his books on fender tags that I learn what I want about C Bodies. He, upon seeing my car at Van Nuys, made some suggestions for showing the original paperwork that I've used to this day.

But guys, as for people not giving a hoot in Hell about C Bodies, get over it! If you own one you know that.

Here's what I've learned: if you own a C Body and want people to appreciate it, DO NOT TAKE IT TO A MOPAR ONLY SHOW!

At "Riders and Rods" this past weekend my Newport was awarded a trophy. They liked it's rarity and that it is not over-modified. Although I have was given a ribbon at Fall Fling once, my car is usually ignored at Mopar Shows. At American Grafitti in Modesto I was talking about my car all day long. That does not happen when at a Mopar Show.

I know this in advance and don't get upet about it. However, I was overjoyed that past Saturday!

I always had good response with my cars.I go to shows --all makes and Mopar only ones--just to have fun and not to sit in lawn chairs and quietly compete against a 100K 'Cuda for a trophy.The point I was trying to make was about Galen himself--not the car shows or the people who attend them.Snotty,it is possible your car may be the last 'vert registered after it sold .I have read stories about cars that sat on the lots for up to three years before being registered to their new owners.Sure,they may have changed hands from dealer to dealer but never "officially" sold.There is a Superbird down south that is still in possesion of the same dealership since new and never registered.

Snotty,it is possible your car may be the last 'vert registered after it sold .

I've thought of that, but I don't think that was what the seller was thinking.

Interestingly, the widow of the saleman was at the Madera show in '08. I was not by my car at the time. She came by, saw the copy of the original sales-slip I display and saw her late husband's name and signature. (A man parked next to me told me.) I wish she had come back to the car, but she didn't. It's a small world indeed!